Apparatus for drilling artesian wells



Patented May 31, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE,

PATRICK YORKE, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR DRILLING ARTESIAN WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 475,913, dated May 31,1892.

Application filed May 4, 1891. Serial No. 391,493. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK YORKE, a resident of lVashington, in thecounty of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparatus for Drilling Artesian Wells; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to tools for drilling oil and other Artesian wells,its object being to provide what might be termed an under reamer or toolfor drilling through tubing, which may be inserted in the well for thefull diameter for which the well had heretofore been drilled by means ofan expanding reamer, which can be inserted through the well-tubing andexpanded below the same and then contracted so as to be withdrawn.

The present invention consists, generally stated,in certain improvementsin such class of reaming-tools, as will be hereinafter fully describedand claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a View illustrating the manner of introducing thereamer into the well and passing it down through the tubing thereof andwithdrawing the tool, and Fig. 2 is a like view illustrating the mannerin which the tool is employed for under reaming.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures.

The well-tubing a is usually made in sections about eighteen feet inlength, and is connected by threaded coupling sockets or collars I),screwed around the outer faces thereof, so requiring the bore of thewell to be of a diameter sufficient to receive the tubing and thecoupling-sockets, as shown. The ordinary well varies in different partsfrom thirteen inches in diameter to five and one-half inches, accordingto the difierent points at which a drilling operation is carried 011 andaccording to the number of lines of tubing within the well; but for theordinary drilling it may be presumed that the well is of the full boreof thirteen inches. The under reamer c has formed at its upper end athreaded pin cl, by which it is connected to the ordinary string oftools within the well, such as to the drill-jars, and above that to therope. The reamer is formed with the two arms 6 e extending down from theupperor body portion 0 thereof and having formed at their lower endsreaming-bits f f, the arms 6 6 being spring-arms and being naturallyadapted to spring out as soon as theyare released by the mechanismhereinafter described. When so released, as shownin Fig. 2, thereaming-bits f fare adapted to extend out a sufficient distance to reamout the well to a diameter sufficient to receive the tubingthat is, inthe illustration above referred to to a diameter, say of thirteeninches. When the tool is closed up, however, as shown in Fig. 1, theentire tool may be passed down through the tubing a, so that it may beinserted within the well and withdrawn therefrom when necessary. This isaccomplished in the following manner. Sliding between the two arms 6 eof the reaming-tool is the central bar g, the upper end of which fitswithin the socket h, while its lower end carries what I have termed thewedge k, which wedge, when the tool is closed to pass through thetubing, fits into seats k in the arms 6 9, but which wedge, when it islowered in the manner hereinafter described, is adapted to enter thespace between the shoulders Z Z on the inner faces of the arms e eandhold the reamer open, expanding the arms a sufficient distance to enableit to ream out the well to the full diameter required, the wedge 70being guided in its course from the seats k to between the shoulders Zby the inclines Z. If desired, the seats 70 may be dispensed with andthe wedge 70 be made of smaller diameter, while the shoulders extend infarther than illustrated, for some tools this being desirable in orderto prevent the weakening of the arms e. The central bar 9 is connectedto the arms 6 e by two sets of levers, the upper levers m being hingedor pivoted to the bar at n, and their free ends 19 extending beyond thearms e in such position that as soon as the levers m m pass below thebase of the line of tubing they may extend beyond it, as shown in Fig.

2, so as to permit the opening to the tool and the passage of the wedgekbetween the shoulders l, but said free ends 19 of said levers bearingupon the inner face of the line of tubing when the tool is loweredthrough the well, and also providing means for closing the tool when itis desired to withdraw the same from the well, the free ends of thelevers striking against the base of the tubing and being forced inwardlyand downwardly thereby, and so drawing upwardly the wedge is and drawingtogether the two arms of the reamer. Below said levers m and just abovethe wedge lo I also employ the links 0", connected to the arms 6 at rand to the bar 9 at W, said levers acting to limit the spread of thereaming-tool and acting with the wedge to hold the same rigid during thereaming operation. In order to force down the central bar g, and socause the opening of the tool as soon as the levers m pass the base ofthe tubing, I employ a heavy spring 8, confined around the bar gandbetween the top or body 0 of the tool and the collar g on the bar, whichspring will act to force the bar g downwardly as soon as the free ends19 of the leversm will permit the spreading of the tool, and will so actto force the wedge k between the shoulders Z, said spring also acting toresist the heavy strain or jar which might come upon the tool in thereaming operation, and might act to cause the closing thereof by jarringthe Wedge 70 from between the shoulders Z.

Theinvention may be practiced and the improved reaming-tool may beemployed in different ways, according to the work to be done. Forexample,letit be supposed that a line of tubing has been carried downinto a well the desired distance-such, for example, to out off a vein ofsalt waterand that the driller encounters a strata of treacherous orcaving rock and that he has difficulty in drilling through the same. Insuch cases, instead of working through the strata of caving rock andthen putting in a second line of tubing, he would simply raise thetubing a sufficient distance to permit the reaming-tool to work underthe same and hold the tubing in that position. He would then closetogether the reamingtool and insert it within the tubing and permit itto pass down within the well. As it is passing down through the tubingthe free ends 19 will bear against the inner face of the tubing and holdthe reamer in its closed position; but as soon as the levers m passbelow the base of the tubing the spring 3 will force down the centralbar 9 through the levers m and links 7', extending the tool and at thesame time forcing the wedge 70 between the shoulders Z of the arms e,and so looking the tool in its extended position. By raising andlowering the tool in the ordinary operation the driller is then enabledto ream out the well to the full diameter sufficient to receive the lineof tubing, and he can continue to ream out the well until he gets belowthe difficulty encountered, such as until he gets below the caving rock,and at the same time he can protect his reaming-tool, or, for thatmatter, the drilling-bit, which can operate through the tubing bysuspending the line of tubing sufficiently close to the tool to preventany rock from falling in and clogging or wedging around the tool, and solooking it within the well. When it is desired to withdraw thereaming-tool from the well, it is only necessary to draw up thereon withsufficient pressure to overcome the force of the spring 8, when as thefree ends 19 of the levers m strike the lower end of the line of tubingthey will be forceddownwardly and inwardly and will force the centralbar 9 upwardly, so as to compress the springand withdraw thewedge 70from between the shoulders Z, so providing for the drawing of the toolwithin the tubing, and the free ends 19 of the levers m will hold thearms 6 e of the reamer in their closed position, so that the reamer maybe drawn through the tubing. If desired,the operator in starting hisWell may employ a smaller diameter of tubing and may tube or case hiswell continuously for any distance he may find desirable, simplydrilling through the tubing, and then by means of the under reamer reamout the well to a sufficient diameter to receive the tubing and thenlowering the line of tubing, adding section by section thereof at theupper end.

By my invention I provide for the drilling of all wells without thenecessity of inserting a separate length of tubing extending from belowany particular obstruction to the top of the well, as I am enabled toemploy but one diameter and one line of tubing within the well. I amalso enabled to drill the well by lowering the tubing, at the same timeto hold back any caving rock which might act to clog or look the toolswithin the well, so overcoming the danger of the loss of the tools orthe loss of the well, and providing easy means of passing through anystrata of caving rock encountered. I also reduce to a great extent thecost of drilling such wells by the saving in the cost of the tubingemployed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- 1. A reamer for Artesian wells, having two arms carrying bit-s atthe lower ends thereof, a central bar longitudinally movable withrelation thereto, and lever connections extending between and connectedto said arms, said bar to provide for the closing and expanding of sucharms, said levers having free ends adapted to extend beyond the arms ofthe reamer, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A reamer for Artesian wells, having two arms carrying bits, a centralbar longitudinally movable with relation thereto and car- 10 having thefree endsp and the links 1", pivoted to said bar and arms near saidwedgeblock, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said PATRICK YORKE, have hereunto set myhand.

PATRICK YORKE. YVitnesses:

J. N. OooKE, ROBT. D. TOTTEN.

